Methods and Systems for Vehicle Security and Remote Access and Safety Control Interfaces and Notifications

ABSTRACT

Methods and systems are disclosed for managing personal security of a user of a vehicle. The vehicle has a plurality of active sensors. The active sensors include one or more of a first type of sensors that collect data and one or more of a second type of sensors that produce actions. The method includes receiving a first remote request at the vehicle to activate a first level of security. The first remote request is an override signal to actively inform said vehicle to set said first level of security for approaching said vehicle by said user. The method includes recording an area proximate to the vehicle using one of said first type of sensors and illuminating said area proximate to the vehicle using one of said second type of sensors in response to activating the first level of security and the recording producing a media file. The method includes transmitting the media file to Internet storage associated with an account of the user of the vehicle. The first remote request causes the recording and the transmitting.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

The present application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 13/911,072, filed on Jun. 5, 2013, and entitled“Methods and Systems for Vehicle Security and Remote Access and SafetyControl Interfaces and Notifications,” which claims priority from U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/760,003, filed on Feb. 1, 2013,and entitled “Methods and Systems For Vehicle Security and Remote Accessand Safety Control Interfaces and Notifications”, which are hereinincorporated by reference. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/911,072,filed on Jun. 5, 2013, and entitled “Methods and Systems for VehicleSecurity and Remote Access and Safety Control Interfaces andNotifications,” also claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 61/745,729, filed on Dec. 24, 2012, and entitled“Methods and Systems For Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging, ChargingSystems, Internet Applications and User Notifications”, which are hereinincorporated by reference.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/911,072, filed on Jun. 5, 2013, andentitled “Methods and Systems for Vehicle Security and Remote Access andSafety Control Interfaces and Notifications,” is a continuation-in-partof U.S. application Ser. No. 13/452,882, filed Apr. 22, 2012, (Now U.S.Pat. No. 9,123,035, issued on Sep. 1, 2015) and entitled “ElectricVehicle (EV) Range Extending Charge Systems, Distributed Networks ofCharge Locating Mobile Apps”, which claims priority to U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 61/478,436, filed on Apr. 22, 2011, all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to systems and methods for vehiclesecurity, methods for finding parking locations and identifying securitygrades of parking locations, as well as notifications to users regardingsecurity alerts, and exchange of information with cloud-based processingsystems to enable vehicle security features.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles, such as motorized vehicles and electric vehicles have beenaround for some time. Vehicles provide a means that enable humans todrive from place to place. In today's world, vehicles have become anindispensable mode of transportation, and provide the freedom to travelat any time of day and for various distances. Vehicles can be publicallyoperated or can be privately owned. Humans most commonly operatevehicles, no matter the type, whether electric or combustion enginebased. In recent years, technology has been advancing to allow forbetter wireless interfacing and networking with vehicles. Such wirelessinterfacing has included, for example, integrated alarms and remote lockand unlock by way of key fobs. These features, although representingadvancements in security, still do not provide vehicle drivers with thelevel of security needed in today's society.

It is in this context that embodiments of the invention arise.

SUMMARY

Methods and systems are disclosed for providing access to safety ratingsof parking locations and access alerts associated with vehicles,including processing of notifications to user accounts associated withmonitored vehicles. One example method includes receiving at a server,over time, safety alerts from a plurality of vehicles. Each safety alertis associated with a geographic location. The method associates, by theserver, one or more safety alerts to parking locations corresponding togeographic locations from where the safety alerts were received. Theserver then generates a safety grade for one or more of the parkinglocations, and the safety grade is based on a number of safety alertsassociated to the parking location and a safety type of the safetyalerts. The method receiving a request at a server, from a computingdevice, to access the safety grade for a parking location proximate to acurrent geo-location of the computing device or a destination locationand sends data to a user interface of the computing device. The dataincludes identification of one or more parking locations proximate tothe current geo-location of the computing device or the destinationlocation and associated safety grades.

In one embodiment, methods for managing personal security of a user of avehicle are provided. The vehicle has a plurality of active sensors. Theactive sensors include one or more of a first type of sensors thatcollect data and one or more of a second type of sensors that produceactions. The method includes receiving a first remote request at thevehicle to activate a first level of security. The first remote requestis an override signal to actively inform said vehicle to set said firstlevel of security for approaching said vehicle by said user. The methodincludes recording an area proximate to the vehicle using one of saidfirst type of sensors and illuminating said area proximate to thevehicle using one of said second type of sensors in response toactivating the first level of security and the recording producing amedia file. The method includes transmitting the media file to Internetstorage associated with an account of the user of the vehicle. The firstremote request causes the recording and the transmitting.

In one embodiment, the vehicle includes a computer and a communicationssystem. The communications system is configured to provide the computerof the vehicle with wireless communication with a cloud services systemthat includes a database that stores a user account that identifies thevehicles as registered with the cloud services system. The user accountidentifies settings for the vehicle and information for notifying a userof the vehicle. The vehicle includes a plurality of sensors associatedto sides of the vehicle, such that contact with a specific side of thevehicle is identified using a sensor of the plurality of sensors. Thevehicle further includes a plurality of cameras integrated in thevehicle to enable capturing of image data of an area around the vehicle.The computer is configured to receive data from the plurality of sensorsof the vehicle to detect a contact with the vehicle and identify a sideof the vehicle from which the contact was detected. The computer isconfigured to send data to the cloud services system which will thensend the notification indicating that contact was detected with thevehicle. The cloud services system enables access to additional data andcontrols, including live feeds of the area around the vehicle.

In another embodiment, systems are disclosed for a vehicle and forassociated methods for handling contact detection of the vehicle. Thevehicle includes a computer and a communications system. Thecommunications system is configured to provide the computer of thevehicle with wireless communication with a cloud services system thatincludes a database that stores a user account that identifies thevehicles as registered with the cloud services system. The user accountidentifies settings for the vehicle and information for notifying a userof the vehicle. The vehicle includes a plurality of sensors associatedto sides of the vehicle, such that contact with a specific side of thevehicle is identified using a sensor of the plurality of sensors. Thevehicle further includes a plurality of cameras integrated in thevehicle to enable capturing of image data of an area around the vehicle.The computer is configured to receive data from the plurality of sensorsof the vehicle to detect a contact with the vehicle and identify a sideof the vehicle from which the contact was detected. The computer isconfigured to send a notification to the user of the vehicle indicatingthat contact was detected with the vehicle. The notification providing alink to an application that interfaces with the cloud services system toenable access to additional data and controls, including live feeds ofthe area around the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the live feed is a video feed of the area aroundthe vehicle, and the controls enable focus of the video feed to specificlocations of the area around the vehicle. The contact is one of a touchof the vehicle, or a motion of the vehicle, or a collision with thevehicle, the additional data includes identification of the side of thevehicle associated with the contact that was detected. The notificationis sent by a server to an account viewable via a mobile device orcomputer of the user. The application provides an option for viewing thelive feed, or contacting a security agent, or both.

In some embodiments, one or more of a motion sensor are provided todetect motion proximate to the vehicle, or a heat detector to detectheat proximate to the vehicle, or both.

In some embodiments, at least one of the plurality of cameras isconfigured to record an image or a video clip in the area around thevehicle for the contact that was detected, and the image or video clipbeing assessable via the application for viewing.

In some embodiments, the cloud services system is configured to save ahistory of events associated with one or more detected contacts with thevehicle, and the application or an internet connected device beingprovided with access to the history to view the events. The cloudservices system includes one or more servers.

In some embodiments, a plurality of microphones are provided to capturesounds in the area around the vehicle, or an infrared detector fordetecting data in the area around the vehicle, or both the plurality ofmicrophones and the infrared detector.

In some embodiments, the wireless communication is configured to processone of radio communication, or Wi-Fi™ communication, or Bluetooth™communication, or a near field communication (NFC), or cellularcommunication, or satellite communication, or peer-to-peercommunication, or a combination of two or more thereof, and the wirelesscommunication enables connection to the Internet for transacting withthe cloud services system. In some embodiments, the live feed is a videofeed of the area around the vehicle that provides a generated bird's eyeview of the area around the vehicle, the controls further enable one ormore of panning, rotating, tilting and patrolling 360-degrees around thevehicle.

In some embodiments, one or more of the plurality of sensors areselected from microphones, or motion detection sensors, or heatdetection sensors, or infrared (IR) detector sensors, or sound detectionlight activated sensors, or recording system sensors, or communicationssystem sensors, or gyroscope sensor, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the controls provided via the application furtherinclude access to view a number of alerts, or a history of alerts, orpast recordings, or past or current incidents, or incidents over aperiod of time, or video clips, or images, or still images, or acollection of still images, or audio files, or audio snippets, oralarms, or details regarding alarms, or details regarding the contactdetected or past contacts detected, or management settings and remotecontrols of the vehicle, or combinations of two or more thereof.

In some embodiments, the computer of the vehicle uses data from theplurality of sensors and the plurality of cameras to determine when thecontact that was detected qualifies as an event for which thenotification should be sent to the user, wherein when the contact thatwas detected is not of a level that qualifies for the notification thenotification is not sent to the user.

In some embodiments, a speaker and a microphone are provided on thevehicle, such that controls provided via the application use the speakerand the microphone of the vehicle to enable the user to speak with aperson standing proximate to the vehicle, and at least one of thecameras enables focus onto the person standing proximate to the vehicle.

In one embodiment, a method for managing personal security of a user ofa vehicle is provided. The vehicle has a plurality of active sensors.The method includes receiving a first remote request at the vehicle toactivate a first level of security, the first level of securityactivating a first active sensor. The method includes recording an areaproximate to vehicle in response to activating the first level ofsecurity, the recording producing a media file. The method includestransmitting the media file to Internet storage associated with anaccount of the user of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, receiving a secondremote request at the vehicle to activate a second level of security,the second level of security activating a second active sensor, thesecond active sensor is more alarm intensive than the first activesensor.

In some embodiments, the second level of security triggers anotification to predefined authorities, the notification including atleast part of the media file.

In some embodiments, the active sensors include, one or more of a firsttype of sensors that collect data; and one or more of a second type ofsensors that produce actions, wherein the actions including turning onlights, controlling vehicle components, controlling recording of audioor video, flashing lights, providing audible responses, sounding alarms,sounding voice messages, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, the method further includes,

transmitting a notification to a predefined destination regarding thefirst remote request, wherein the transmitting of the notification issaved to history in the account of the user at the internet storage,such that access to the Internet storage is provided to the user via theaccount to view or share data regarding the notification.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, sending a notificationto the user upon activating the first level of security, thenotification including data indicative of a danger condition, the dangercondition determined based monitored conditions proximate to the vehicleand rules that define which ones of the monitored conditions should beconsidered danger conditions.

In some embodiments, the notification is sent to a mobile device of theuser that identifies the danger condition, a key fob for the vehicle, apredefined security agent, police, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the media file is one of video, audio, image,sounds and images, video clips, infrared images, sound waves, impactdata, or combinations thereof that can be stored in digital form.

In another embodiment, a method of managing security of a vehicle havingelectronics for managing the vehicle and for communicating wirelesslywith the Internet is provided. The method includes receiving one or morerequests at the vehicle from a wireless device handled by a user of thevehicle, wherein each one of successive requests triggers a heightenedlevel of security. The method includes initiating video recordingproximate to the vehicle upon receiving one of the requests. The methodincludes

transmitting, over the internet, a notification to a predeterminedrecipient concerning the one more requests received at the vehicle, thenotification including at least part of the video recording. Thenotification and the last least part of the video recording is saved ata remote server, connected to the internet, associated with an accountof the user for the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the account of the user for the vehicle is accessedat a website or application and the account identifies a history ofevents that include saved notifications and access to the videorecordings associated with the notifications.

In some embodiments, the wireless device is a key fob having at leastone button, wherein at least one of the buttons is selected one or moretimes to cause the one or more requests that are received by thevehicle.

In some embodiments, the wireless device is a portable computing devicehaving one or more selection options, wherein at least one of theselection options is selected one or more times to cause the one or morerequests that are received by the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the notification is correlated to a geographiclocation (i.e., geo-location) of the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the notification for the vehicle is added to ahistory database for the geographic location, notification historydatabase including notifications from a plurality of vehicles thatgenerate notifications over time, further comprising, generating safetygrades, at a server connected to the Internet, and assigning the safetygrades to a plurality of geographic locations based on past occurrencesof notifications at or near the plurality of geographic locations.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, presenting the safetygrades, upon request, to devices requesting safety history for ageographic location.

In another embodiment, a method for managing security of a vehiclehaving electronics for managing the vehicle and for communicatingwirelessly with the Internet is disclosed. The method includes receivingone or more requests at the vehicle from a wireless device handled by auser of the vehicle. The method includes illuminating an area proximateto the vehicle with lighting upon receiving a first request, theilluminating being color coded to be indicative of a safety levelassociated with the vehicle based on events that were detected at thevehicle or proximate to the vehicle during a time before receiving theone or more requests at the vehicle, the one or more requests include arequest to open or access the vehicle, the method being executed by aprocessor.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, initiating videorecording proximate to the vehicle upon receiving one of the requests;transmitting, over the internet, a notification to a predeterminedrecipient concerning the one more requests received at the vehicle, thenotification including at least part of the video recording; and whereinthe notification and the last least part of the video recording is savedat a remote server, connected to the internet, associated with anaccount of the user for the vehicle.

In some embodiments, the method further includes, providing a changedlighting after receiving a second request, the changed lighting isintensified lighting or different color lighting.

In some embodiments, a second request triggers elevated audible outputsfrom the vehicle, the audio outputs include sounds and/or voice languagewarnings.

In some embodiments, the illuminated area proximate to the vehicle isviable from a distance to notify safety level, wherein a different colordefines a different predefined safety level.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a general example diagram of a user operating a keyfob or a portable device, to communicate with a vehicle, in accordancewith one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a parking lot where user uses the keyfob to communicate with vehicle.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a proximity zone around a vehicle.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a plurality of active sensors.

FIG. 5 illustrates example modules that are part of security module, inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations that may be processed insome embodiments of the present invention to activate certain alarms forsecurity of a vehicle and security of the vehicle's user, driver and oroccupants.

FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a user interface that may be providedto a user from a computing device, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a key fob that can include a number ofbuttons and lights, to indicate different colors or security levels.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the data captured and triggered from the variouslevels of security can be communicated to cloud processing and saved incloud storage.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example where cloud processing manages accountsfor users, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10A illustrates an example mobile device displaying an example GUIof an APP useful for displaying, consuming, interpreting, selecting,notifying, controlling, managing and updating information related to auser's location, and/or their future location as it relates to parkinglocation selection.

FIG. 10B shows one example of a configurable dynamically updatinghome-screen and or dashboard displayed on GUI for an APP running ondevice having communication electronics useful for exchanging data withcloud processing.

FIG. 10C shows one example of a GUI running on device updated viacommunication electronics by exchanging data with cloud processingrelated to displaying past and current incidents for a given user'svehicle(s).

FIG. 10D shows one example of a GUI running on device updated viacommunication electronics by exchanging data with cloud processing.

FIG. 10E shows one example of a GUI running on device updated viacommunication electronics by exchanging data with cloud processingrelated to displaying the latest alerts sent to a user dynamicallyregarding particular alert titled suspicious activity.

FIG. 10F shows one example of a GUI running on device updated viacommunication electronics by exchanging data with cloud processing.

DETAILED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention relates to systems and methods for vehiclesecurity, methods for finding parking locations and identifying securitygrades of parking locations, as well as notifications to users regardingsecurity alerts, and exchange of information with cloud-based processingsystems to enable vehicle security features.

A number of embodiments are described below, with reference to specificimplementations that refer to vehicles, but such implementations shouldbe broadly construed to include any type of vehicle, structure orobject. Without limitation, vehicles can include any type of movingobject that can be steered, and can include vehicles that are for humanoccupancy or not. Vehicles can include those that are privately owned,owned by corporations, commercially operated vehicles, such as buses,automobiles, trucks, cars, buses, trains, trolleys, etc. Examplevehicles can include those that are combustion engine based, electricengine (EV) based, hybrids, or other types of energy source vehicles.

The embodiments of the present invention relate to vehicle securityand/or vehicle personal security, and methods for managing remotecontrol of security functions and remote access and control from aremote location over the Internet. At the remote location, a user isable to access a user interface for an application, which provides usersaccess to their user accounts. A user account can be for a user and theuser can add one or more vehicles, objects, data or appliances forremote reporting, viewing and control. In one embodiment, a user is anowner or user of a vehicle. The user can register the vehicle with aremote service.

The remote service can be accessed over the Internet, such as via awebsite or application of a portable device. The remote service canprovide a multitude of cloud services for the user, such as remotecontrol features, remote viewing services, remote alarm controls, remotecamera activation, remote audio/video recording of the vehicle (i.e.,areas around the vehicle and inside the vehicle). In one embodiment, thevehicle is able to connect to the Internet (e.g., when the vehicleengine is off, on, and/or is occupied or un-occupied) to allow a user,via a remote cloud service, to access features of the vehicle. Thevehicle can be accessed when running, when parked, when stopped, whenmoving, etc. The vehicle and its audio recording devices and videocameras can be accessed from remote locations, to allow users toremotely communicate with the vehicle or with people riding or residinginside the vehicle.

The remote communication can also allow a person to communicate remotelywith people standing outside (or inside) of a vehicle. For instance, ifa user is accessing his or her vehicle from a remote location, camerasinstalled in and/or on the vehicle allow the remote user to see a personstanding proximate to the vehicle. The remote user can then communicatewith a person standing proximate to the vehicle using microphones andspeakers of the vehicle.

In one embodiment, the user or owner of the vehicle can get anotification from the vehicle if the vehicle detects a person standingproximate to the vehicle or taking some action that is not consistentwith passive standing. For instance, if a person is trying to gainunauthorized entry into the vehicle, the vehicle can send a notificationto the owner and the owner can view the activity remotely and can alsospeak to the person attempting to break in or who has broken in to thevehicle. The same notification can be sent to authorities, such as thepolice. This notification can contain audio, video, location, date stampand other metrics associated with the incident. This notification can besent automatically or initiated remotely by a vehicle's user/owner toalert authorities after the user/owner has determined that the activityis in fact a crime and not a false alarm.

In the following examples, additional security features are alsodescribed which are relevant and pertain to preventative security tools.The security tools can include, for instance, allowing a user to selecta button or input, which remotely lights the vehicle up before or as theuser walks to the vehicle. This feature is useful, for instance, when auser needs to get to his or her car in a parking garage or location thatmay not be safe. For instance, if a user needs to collect his or her carfrom a parking spot at night, the user may not feel very comfortablegoing to his or her car, with fear of being car jacked.

The user, in one embodiment, can select a button that lights up his orher car from remote location. In one embodiment, the button can bethought of as a personal security escort service, which provides thedriver approaching the vehicle with added security.

In one embodiment, the button can also act to begin recording ofactivity proximate to the vehicle. The recording can be saved to storageof the vehicle and can also be streamed to the user's cloud servicesaccount. Each time the user selects to use the security feature andrecording begins and a history log can be saved. If an incident were tooccur, the user can click or push a second button remotely that causesimmediate notification to authorities or police. In this embodiment, thearea around the vehicle is also recorded with cameras, microphones,motion sensors, etc.

Other sensors can be integrated into the vehicle, such as motionsensors, heat sensors, multiple cameras, etc. These sensors can providetriggers to code executed on vehicle hardware and/or cloud hardware, toinitiate one or more alarms or take proactive security actions and/orsend notifications to users of the vehicles and/or authorities.

If the user arrives at the vehicle and no incident occurs, the user canelect whether to keep or discard the recorded data. In one embodiment,each time a recording occurs, the history data can also save informationregarding the time of alerts, location coordinates of the events (GPSdata), etc. This data can also be saved and processed by cloudprocessing programs to collect data over time of vehicles having thiscommunication/security feature.

Heat maps of prior activity can also be defined for later use. In oneembodiment, the data used to construct the heat map of prior activitymay be crowd-sourced in that data from events from all prior individualusers is amalgamated into trends and probability of incident. In thismanner, if a user wishes to see the historical data of a parking area orlocation, the user can see or determine how safe the location might be.Using this data, the user can determine when the safest time of day orthe safest day of the week is to park at a certain location.

In one embodiment, the data regarding historical events can be providedto users on a display of a vehicle, smartphone or computer withInternet/Cloud access and the data can be provided in various levels ofgranularity. For instance, the data can be provided with a simple grade,such as A for safe, B for relatively safe, F for not safe, etc. If theuser wishes more detailed information, the user can be provided withinformation regarding past actual events. People wishing more securitycan therefore select a better location to park. In one embodiment, asame parking garage can have different grade levels for different areasor for different parking slots. Information regarding localizedincidents within parking garages, parking lots, street parallel parking,shopping centers, airports, service stations etc. can also be used byparking garage operators, police, business owners and or serviceattendants or the like to improve security as they will have access togranular incident data and heat maps.

In another embodiment, a vehicle's A/V recording systems may betriggered to record video and audio at certain predetermined times, asprogrammed by the user. The user can program the vehicle to record upona panic button press, upon a break-in condition, or upon any type oftrigger condition. The event can then be transmitted to a cloud storagesystem to enable the user to view data about the condition. All or partof the data can be provided to predetermined entities, such as police,local security, etc.

The data can be viewed via any computer or mobile device having accessto the internet. In one embodiment, the vehicle can be continuouslyrecording A/V data in a buffer, e.g., circular or non-circular buffer(e.g., storage that is local on the vehicle or storage that is part of acloud based data center or centers). The data may be discarded after abuffer period of time. If a trigger condition occurs, the triggercondition can capture a buffer period of time before the trigger and aperiod of time after the trigger. These updates can be programmed to beauto-sent to recipient, and can be provided as notifications tosmartphone devices.

In one embodiment, structures described herein can include parkingstructures, parking lots, private or commercial buildings,drive-through, bridges, toll roads, highways, shared or home driveways,designated driving and parking areas. In the specific embodimentsdescribed herein, vehicles, structures and objects may include circuitryand communication logic to enable communication with a cloud processingsystem over the Internet. A cloud processing system, as describedherein, will include systems that are operated and connected to theInternet or to each other using local networking communicationprotocols.

A cloud processing system can be defined as an interconnected anddistributed physical or virtual software defined network that utilizesvirtual or physical processing and storage machines that enable variousapplications and operating systems to facilitate the communication withand between various client devices (vehicles, user devices, structures,objects etc.). The communication with and between the various clientdevices will enable the cloud processing system to deliver additionalprocessing information, data, and real-time metrics concerning dataobtained from other processing systems as well as client feedback data.The distributed nature of the cloud processing system will enable usersof various vehicles, structures and objects to access the Internet, andbe presented with more flexible processing power that will provide therequested services in a more effective manner.

The processing systems can be defined from various data centers thatinclude multiple computing systems that provide the processing power toexecute one or more computer readable programs. The processing of thecomputer readable programs can produce operations that can respond torequests made by other processing systems that may be local to avehicle's electronic system. For example, a vehicle can includeelectronics that utilize memory and a processor to execute programinstructions to provide services.

In one embodiment, the services provided by the electronic systems of avehicle can include services that access the various components orsubsystems of a vehicle, such as door locks, service histories, userprofiles, audio settings, entertainment settings, mapping functions,communications systems, telecommunication synchronization systems,speakers, heating and cooling functions, auto-engine start/shut-offremotely via smart devices, remote heating/cooling initiation, remoteface-to-face conferencing, etc. The electronic systems within a vehiclecan also provide a user interface, such as a graphical user interface.The graphical user interface can include a plurality of buttons,controls and transceivers to receive input from a user. The input from auser can also be provided by voice input, facial recognition, eye-retinascans, fingerprint scans, a combination of biometrics, or via acapacitive or regular touchscreen contained or displayed within thevehicle, the vehicle's glass, doors, dashboard etc.

In other embodiments, the electronics of a vehicle can synchronize witha user's portable electronics. The user's electronics can include, forexample mobile devices that include smart phones, tablet computers,laptop computers, general-purpose computers, special purpose computers,etc. The various computing devices of the vehicle, and or the computingdevices of the user (smart devices) can be connected to the Internet orto each other. Provided that a user has access or account access to thecloud service, the cloud processing services on the Internet can provideadditional processing information to the electronics of the vehicle.

In the following embodiments, examples will be provided for ways ofhaving the cloud processing services deliver processing informationconcerning various physical locations that have mapping data associatedthere with. The following embodiments will also provide examples of waysa cloud processing service, together with physical sensors, can allowvehicles, structures and objects to become aware of each other, sharelocations, measurements and mapping data, intended paths and othermetrics along with remote administration of the same.

The mapping data associated with the various locations can includelocations of objects in the real world. The objects in the real worldcan include roads, sidewalks, buildings, barriers, fencing, parkingstructures, walls or obstacles within a location, doors, positioning ofwalls, location information of other vehicles within a location, sensordata associated with various locations, mapping data that outlines thegeometries of a building or vehicle, sensor location that is staticand/or dynamic, area and volume information within buildings, structuresor areas, sensors for detecting movement or presence of obstacles withina location, data identifying occupancy a specific locations such as aparking structure, a parking space, etc.

In one embodiment, the sensors of a building, showing the outline of thebuilding can provide data of what spaces are available within adesignated parking area for example. When a vehicle reaches a building,parking lot, parking designated area of ad-hoc parking lot whereauto-park is available, the vehicle will become aware of theavailability of non-human operated auto parking and will transfer andreceive information to and from the cloud to download and/or access thebuilding's location and map of sensors. When a vehicle reaches adifferent auto-park location, it will download that particular map.

In one embodiment, vehicles can maintain information regarding wherethey are, where they are heading and their destination maintained whichis maintained by GPS and navigation systems on board. The informationcollected and maintained by every vehicle is mutually exclusive, meaningthat only each individual vehicle is aware of its own heading, rate ofspeed and current location. This information, on one embodiment is crowdsourced and crowd shared/consumed for use in for accident avoidance. Bynetworking vehicles within a certain radius together, all individuallylocation-aware vehicles become aware of all other vehicles in theirsphere of influence. Every vehicle will network with vehicles in theirrange using wireless communication systems such as but not limited toWi-Fi, Wi-Gig LTE, cellular, radio, near field communication or othermethods.

In one embodiment, each vehicle may maintain a table (e.g., in storage,locally on in cloud storage) of all other vehicles in, entering, and orleaving its sphere of influence. The vehicle's cameras can be engaged totake still photos and or video record any incident, whether it resultsin a successful avoidance or impact. This footage can be used to alertauthorities of the severity of the accident and aid insurance companiesin identifying fault. A vehicle will maintain a buffer of events for agiven amount of time before and after a collision event or collisionavoidance event such as the location, speed, heading, and avoidancemeasures to store and identify the metrics that lead to an incident.

In one embodiment, a personal security system for a vehicle can includea number of features. One feature is electronics in the vehicle that cancommunicate with sensors of the vehicle and can communicate with theInternet for accessing cloud processing services and storage. Thecommunication system for the vehicle can include, for instance, cellularcommunication with cell towers, WiFi, WiGig, 802.11ac, 802.11ad andconsequent wireless networking standards and technology forcommunication with wireless routers, peer-to-peer communication withother vehicles or connected computers, near field communication,Bluetooth communication, satellite communication, radio communication,infrared communication, or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, the communications of the vehicle and electronics ofthe vehicle will enable direct communication with a user of the vehicle.The user of the vehicle can include, for instance, the owner of thevehicle, a driver of the vehicle, or any third party having access tothe vehicle (either to drive the vehicle, to monitor the vehicleremotely, etc.)

In one embodiment, the user can communicate security instructions to thevehicle using a key radio frequency emitting or network connected fob,mobile device, or the like. The key fob, for instance, may include abutton to signal to the vehicle that a user wishes to activate asecurity protocol before, during or after the vehicle is accessed. Thebutton can, in one embodiment, be a button that is in addition to apanic button. While a panic button can only provide on/off signals tothe car (e.g., to sound alarms and lights), the additional button can beused to communicate more than on/off signals. Still further, theadditional button can be the same button as an existing panic button.For instance, if the panic button is pushed once, that could mean thatthe user wishes a lower level of preventative security.

For example, vehicle preventative security can include: (a) turning onlights around the vehicle to make it safe for the user to approach(e.g., when the vehicle is parked in poorly lit place), (b) sounding alow level audio signal (less dramatic than a panic alarm); (c) providingvoice and/or audio notification to the surrounding area noting that thevehicle is being monitored (e.g., “this vehicle is being monitored forsecurity . . . you may be recorded during this time”); (d) turning on arecording light on the vehicle, which notifies people that the area isbeing recorded and actively viewed; (e) a combination of lighting, soundor audio notifications, and recording of the space around the vehicle asthe user approaches can also be included as example preventativesecurity. As noted, the preceding examples may be remotely triggered bya user, e.g., using a key fob or via a computer or mobile deviceconnected to the Internet via an application or web browser.

In one embodiment, a key fob can allow a user to click once for a lowerlevel of preventative security to be activated and if no incidentoccurs, the user once in the vehicle and in safety can select to erasethe recorded images or data. The vehicle can also provide a query on thedisplay screen asking the user to confirm if the event should bemaintained (e.g., saved on vehicle storage or saved to cloud storage) orerased. On the other hand, a user can double click the security buttonor elect a separate button if the user determines that more security isneeded while approaching the vehicle. If the user feels that danger islikely to occur, the user can hold down the security button or select adifferent button on the key fob or app on a smartphone. This willtrigger elevated security sirens, more lights, voice comments notifyingpeople near the vehicle that the area is being recorded and/or sent tothe authorities.

As can be appreciated, by providing users with multiple levels ofsecurity activation, users can be provided with higher levels ofsecurity when approaching a vehicle alone or with small children. Anyrecordings, images, clips, audio recorded proximate to the vehicle canbe shared with others. The sharing can be by way of email, text,application notifications, cloud access to storage holding data, eventsand data, etc. In one embodiment, the historical data for this user canbe saved by the cloud services. In one embodiment, for other registeredusers of the cloud services, information from all or some of thehistorical data of events can be saved and used to map out a history ofevents for selected locations. The locations where events occurred canbe mapped out using GPS data and time data.

In one embodiment, users of the service can access an app or cloudservice account to determine the historical safety of a particularlocation or parking slot. This data can also be shared with parkinglocations, building owners, and others that can take corrective measuresto improve security. In one embodiment, the data from historical eventstriggered at locations can be shared anonymously, without disclosing theidentity of the car/user that triggered the alarm. This sharing willencourage others to share the data to collectively improve safety forparticular parking areas.

In one embodiment, a vehicle can sense and collect data in itssurroundings before a user decides to approach a vehicle. For instance,a vehicle can monitor a proximity volume around the vehicleautomatically. In some cases, people will come in contact or in nearproximity to the vehicle, but those actions would not be viewed astriggering an alarm. If, however, some activity is determined to beunusual, based on predefined rules, the vehicle can store the activity.If the activity continues (e.g., a person continues to look into thevehicle, is looking under the vehicle, approaches the vehicle too manytimes over some period of time, etc.), that information can be providedto the user/owner of the vehicle as a notification.

If the user gets this notification, the notification can include videoclips or images of the events. By having this information ahead of time,the user can determine whether or not to approach the vehicle at all,and possibly notify the authorities or local security. If thenotification simply shows other users getting into and out of their carsbeside the user's vehicle, that notifications can be ignored by theuser.

In other embodiments, when a user is attempting to park at a particularlocation, the vehicle can advance notify the driver of the probablesafety for the location at which the user is about to park. If thelocation is the site or proximity of some threshold number of previousalert or security events, the driver can be notified so that the drivercan determine if he or she still wishes to leave the vehicle parked atthat location.

The system can also, in one embodiment, recommend a safer parking spotor location that is proximate to the current location. For example, theuser can be recommended to park closer to one side of a building thanthe other, or at another parking garage with lower level of historicalsecurity triggered activities.

FIG. 1 illustrates a general example diagram of a user 110 operating akey fob 104 or a portable device 105, to communicate with a vehicle 102,in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As shown,vehicle 102 can include vehicle electronics 103, and a plurality ofsensors 108. The sensors 108 can be distributed at one or more locationson the vehicle 102, and the sensors can communicate with vehicleelectronics 103. Vehicle electronics include electronics for controllingcomponents of vehicle 102 and for communicating with a network. Vehicle102 can communicate with cloud processing 120, for example, over theInternet. Communication can be by way of wireless communication.

The wireless communication can include cellular tower communication thatcouples and communicates through various networks to the Internet, toprovide access to cloud processing 120. Other methods can includeproviding Wi-Fi communication to local Wi-Fi transmitters and receivers,which communicate with cloud processing 120. Other types ofcommunication can include radio frequency communication, such asBluetooth communication or combinations of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Itshould be understood that vehicle 103 can communicate with cloudprocessing 120 via any number of communication methods, so long asexchanges of data can be made with cloud processing 120 from time totime.

The communication can be made by vehicle electronics 120 while thevehicle is on or when the vehicle is off, so long as communication andprocessing circuitry of vehicle electronics 103 has a power source. Thepower source can include battery power that powers vehicle electronics103 to communicate with cloud processing 120 when vehicle 102 is turnedoff. When vehicle 102 is turned on, the battery that drives vehicle hetries 103 can be recharged.

In the illustrated example, user 110 can use a key fob 104 tocommunicate directly with vehicle 102. Key fob 104 can include aplurality of buttons that allow the user 110 to open the vehicle, lockthe vehicle, push a panic button 104A, or push a record button 104B. Inone embodiment, the record button is a 2nd button that provides the user110 with a precautionary level of security when the user feelsuncomfortable or desires to access the vehicle from a remote location.

By pressing the record button, the user can activate a security radiusaround vehicle 102, where in the security radius may cause vehicle 102to start recording data around the vehicle, and may light up the areaproximate to the vehicle using its lighting. It should be understoodthat the record button can take any other name, and is not limited tobeing called a record button. In one example, the button can be viewedas a security escort button, a caution button, or can be integrated withthe panic button so that multiple presses of the panic button canactivate different levels of security.

In one embodiment, vehicle 102 will integrate additional vehiclelighting so that the vehicle will appear lit up and will alert nearbypersons that the vehicle is being monitored and/or being recorded. Asthe user 110 walks towards the vehicle, the vehicle will record itssurroundings and will light up the space so that the user 110 canapproach the vehicle. This process may be used by the vehicle owner whendesiring to approach the vehicle in an area that may not appear to besafe. The area not appearing to be safe can include, low lighting in theparking location, hovering or proximity of other people near the vehiclethat may appear to be less than safe, or for any other reason that theuser feels uncomfortable or has a desire to obtain more security whenapproaching vehicle 102.

In one embodiment, if a person approaches the vehicle 102 when user 110is walking towards the vehicle, or the person is hiding behind vehicle102, vehicle 102 can record and or alert the person that the vehicle isbeing monitored. The person can be alerted with a sound, or a voice thatcommunicates out loud to the area around the vehicle 102 that the areais being recorded, and that the vehicle owner is approaching. If whenthe user 110 is walking toward the vehicle 102, some condition changes,such as the user 110 becoming more apprehensive of his or her security,the user can then push the panic button 104A. This will cause anelevated level of activity for vehicle 102.

The elevated level of activity can include (in addition to recording thearea around the vehicle and turning on the lights around the vehicle)sounding a siren and voicing a warning to anyone in the proximity of thevehicle that they are being recorded and the authorities have beennotified of the current alarm condition. If when the user arrives at thecar and the user feels safe, the user can turn off the panic button andcan also turn off the recording. In one embodiment, the recordings andthe triggering of the alarms can be saved to memory and storage ofvehicle 102. In another embodiment, the recordings and data associatedwith the recordings and triggers alarms can be saved to cloud processing120 automatically.

The saving of this data to cloud processing 120 allows user 110 tomaintain a history of the times the alarm or triggers alarms occurredfor vehicle 102, and the locations where the triggers occurred. Inanother embodiment, when more vehicles include the monitoring featuresdescribed herein, those vehicles can also report different trigger analarm conditions. Because the cars can be tracked for location usingglobal positioning satellites (GPS), the position of the car when thetriggers were detected (and any clips of video, images or metadata savedto the servers in cloud processing 120) can be communicated to databasesof a service that monitors vehicle 102, using cloud processing 120. Forexample, if a plurality of cars sign up for a service, which includeassigning accounts to different users of vehicles, when vehiclesexperience or trigger alarm conditions or recording conditions, thatdata can be saved to cloud processing 120.

By consolidating and analyzing data from a plurality of vehicles, it ispossible to determine locations that may not be safe, or can bepredicted to not be safe based on the number of trigger conditions thatoccurred (e.g. in proximity to a GPS location or locations). In anotherembodiment, the key fob 104 can be represented as an APP (application)on a portable device. The APP can include graphical user interface icons104′ that represents images of key fob 104. Thus, the user can alsoaccess the vehicle 102 using a graphical user interface that resembleskey fob 104.

In one embodiment, the user 110 is registered with cloud processing 120that will provide access to vehicle 102 over an application. User 110will be allowed to access the application and the vehicle 102 upon beingcertified using accounts and passwords. Additional security, such asencryption may also be used to prevent hacking of access codes.Accordingly, the user can be accessing vehicle 102 using a key fob 104or a portable device 104′, or also a computer connected to the Internet.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a parking lot 150 where user 110 usesthe key fob 104 to communicate with vehicle 102. In this example, theparking lot shows vehicle 102 in a remote location of parking lot 150.When the user 110 selects the record button 104, the proximity zone 160will light up, and may alert people proximate to the vehicle 102 thatvehicle 102 is being monitored. Alternatively, if a user 180 a is notproximate to vehicle 102, vehicle 102 will not signal a voice commandregarding its monitoring.

If person 180 b approaches the proximity zone 160, the person will bealerted that vehicle one or 2 is recording the proximity as user 110approaches the vehicle. In one embodiment, user 110 can also be notifiedvia a portable device that the proximity zone 160 around vehicle 102 hasa person 180 b proximate to the vehicle. At that point, user 110 candecide whether to approach the vehicle or not approach the vehicle, orto select the panic button 104 a if user 104 feels threatened of itssafety. Although this example shows a planar two-dimensional parking lot150, the remote access into the vehicle can include accessing vehiclesin parking structures that are multilevel, approaching vehicles inhomes, approaching vehicles at work, approaching vehicles in any otherlocation.

In the example of FIG. 2, user 110 was notified of the proximity of theuser when the user entered the proximity zone 160. In one embodiment, ifa person had been in the proximity zone 160 for some time before user110 approaches the vehicle 102, a notification can be sent to theportable device or computer or account of user 110 that a person hadbeen within a threshold proximity around the vehicle. This type ofactivity can be predefined based on rules, as being suspicious. Othertypes of activity around vehicle 102 can also be defined as suspiciousand added to a rules database.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a proximity zone 160 around vehicle102. As a basic example, sensors 108 are located on four sides ofvehicle 102, and in communication with vehicle electronics 103. Itshould be understood that the number of sensors can be many more thanfour, and can be located on more than four sides of the vehicle. In someembodiments, multiple sensors can be located at one side of the vehicle,on top of the vehicle, below the vehicle, and combinations thereof aswell as a rotating, panning, tilting and patrolling 360-degree sensors.

As illustrated, the sensors 108 can be configured to capture image dataaround the perimeter of the vehicle 102 in proximity zone 160. Inaddition, optional sound capture can also be conducted within theperimeter 160. The perimeter 160 size can vary depending on the type ofsensors utilized, or can be programmatically adjusted by the user. Theuser can, for example, reduce the radius or sensitivity of the proximityzone 160 so as to reduce the number of alerts that are received during amonitoring session. In other embodiments, the radius or sensitivity ofproximity zone 160 can be maximized when the user needs to access thevehicle in unsafe conditions or environments. The sensing data, controland capture, can be communicated between vehicle 102 and cloudprocessing 120 utilizing vehicle electronics 103, and its communicationsystems. Also shown in FIG. 3 is the concept of illuminating the areaaround vehicle 102.

This illumination area 102 can include special illumination lightingaround the perimeter of the vehicle. The illumination lighting caninclude, for example, LED lighting at the base of the vehicle thatlights up floor or ground area around the vehicle with highmagnification.

In one embodiment, the illumination lighting can be color coded. If aperson is hiding or standing proximate to the vehicle as a user walkstoward the vehicle that is illuminated, the illumination color or glowaround the vehicle can change. If rules suggest that it is dangerous toapproach the vehicle, the glow may be red, if it is safe, the glow maybe green, or some other shades of color. The color can also switch fromone color to another, as the user approaches with higher security needs.

In other embodiments, additional illumination lights can be provided inthe vehicle that is activated based on motion capture. For example, ifthe user is attempting to approach a vehicle that is currently beingmonitored, if a person is hiding behind the vehicle, the lighting in thearea where the person is sensed (using motion detection, heat detection,sound detection, or a combination thereof), the lighting on that personcan be magnified.

Additionally, sound can be directed toward persons that may be in theproximity zone 160 when a person is approaching vehicle 102 in a safetymode. As will be described below, the safety modes can be set by userdepending on the level of safety desired by the user when approachingvehicle 102. The safety levels can be low levels, such as lighting upthe proximity zone 160 or simply emitting low-level sounds. In moreelevated levels, the user can decide to automatically capture image dataand send captured image data or video to third parties using cloudprocessing 120. Additionally, if a vehicle's ability to transfer, recordor activate passive or active safety features are compromised,deactivated or tampered with, an emergency S.O.S signal may be sent tothe user of the vehicle using any remaining operative sensor data. Thissignal may also be sent to authorities and captured by cloud processing.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a plurality of active sensors 108. Thesensors shown in FIG. 4 are only for example, and additional sensors canbe added or removed depending on the level of security provided by thesensing system of a vehicle 102. Examples include sensors 108 a-108 h,which can include cameras and microphones, motion detection sensors,heat detection sensors, infrared (IR) detectors, sound detectors lightactivation sensors, recording system sensors, communications systemsensors, gyroscopes to detect contact with the vehicle by a person orobject, trigger logic, rules databases for activating sensors inresponse to specific triggers, or combinations thereof.

In one embodiment, some or all of active sensors of the vehicle can beenabled when the vehicle is off or on, or some can be enabled uponreceiving a request to enable some of the sensors from a user (e.g.,when the user of vehicle decides to approach the vehicle, or wishes toview the vehicle remotely or activate some feature of the vehicleremotely). As shown in FIG. 4, the plurality of active sensors of avehicle can include several types. For example, some active sensors areof a first type, which can collect data. The data collected can be fromcameras, recording sound or video or images, motion sensors, IRdetectors, sounds detectors, etc. A second type of sensor can includethose that produce actions. The actions can include, for instance,sounding a horn, turning on the vehicle, turning on a feature of thevehicle, turning on lights, flashing lights, sounding alarms, activatingvoice warnings, sending notifications, etc. In other embodiments, theactive sensors can produce or take actions in combinations of ways, thatinclude both the first type of sensors and second type of sensors. Itshould be understood that the more types beyond the first and second arepossible, and can be used in combinations thereof.

Active sensors 108 are in communication with vehicle electronics 103.Vehicle electronics 103 can include security module 103 a, which isintegrated with vehicle electronics 103 or can be an add-on module thatcommunicates with vehicle electronics 103. Vehicle or consular 3 is incommunication with cloud processing 120.

FIG. 5 illustrates example modules that are part of security module 103a, in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As notedin FIG. 4, security module 103 a can be integrated in or interfaced withvehicle electronics 103. The following modules are exemplary in nature,and it should be understood that more or less modules may be part ofsecurity module 103 a. With this in mind, an image capture module isshown to include a camera's controller for communicating with aplurality of cameras 108 a. A camera's controllers can then beinterfaced with activation logic and record logic. Activation logic cansignal to the cameras controller that one or more cameras need to beturned on or off, and the record logic can control the camera'scontroller to signal recording from particular cameras.

The recording data can then be saved to local storage, and latercommunicated to cloud processing 120 for additional storage remotelyfrom the vehicle 102. Also shown is an audio capture module thatincludes a microphone controller. The microphone controller is incommunication with the plurality of microphones 108 a. A microphonecontroller may be communicating with activation logic and record logicto set when one or more the microphones should be recording and therecording data can be saved to the local storage. Just as image data canbe saved to cloud storage using cloud processing 120, the microphonedata that is recorded can also be transmitted to cloud storage in cloudprocessing 120. Further, optionally included in security module 103 a isa motion/heat capture module.

This module can include a plurality of controllers to capture eithermotion or heat data surrounding vehicle 102. The sensors around vehicle102 can detect when heat of a human body is proximate to the vehicle102, or if heat is coming from another vehicle that may have beenrunning. The motion controller can also detect when motion is occurringproximate to the vehicle 102. Various sensors 108 b and 108 c can belocated in and around vehicle 102. Proximity detection logic may be incommunication with the image capture module, audio capture module,motion/heat capture module.

Data inputs from these various modules and their respective sensors canthen be processed by proximity detection logic. Proximity detectionlogic can implement a plurality of rules to determine when people,objects, heat, or obstacles are proximate to vehicle 102. This data canthen be transferred to an alarm type trigger logic. Based on thedifferent sensor data collected by the proximity detection logic, thealarm type trigger logic can operate to trigger different types of alarmactivations, based on alarm rules. Alarm type trigger logic can triggera plurality of actions and without limitation can include, remotenotification, activation of horns, turning on or off of lights, outputof voice warnings, triggering of recordings, notification ofauthorities, saving of recordings to cloud storage of user accounts,notifications to third parties, and combinations thereof. In oneembodiment, the alarm type trigger logic is also in communication withvehicle controller interface. Vehicle controller interface can includeelectronics of the vehicle, which are native to the vehicle. Theseelectronics can serve to turn on existing lighting of the vehicle, hornsof the vehicle, settings of the vehicle, etc. Each vehicle maker caninclude different controller interface and can include applicationinterface that enable security add-on modules to be connected to thevehicle controller interface.

Vehicle controller interface can also link to communications systems ofthe vehicle. The vehicle's communications system will enable the vehicle102 to communicate with cloud processing 120. Communications Systems ofthe vehicle can also enable users to communicate with the vehicle usinga key fob 104. A user with a remote computer or network connected mobiledevice can also communicate with cloud processing 120 which in turncommunicates with the vehicle via Communications Systems in securitymodule 103 a or other logic that is native to the vehicle andmanufacturer. In one embodiment, an override signal can be monitored toreceive input from the user. The input from the user can be in the formof receiving a panic button input, which can trigger the alarm types toactivate certain ones of the trigger alarms and notifications.

In another embodiment, the override can include a record button. In thisembodiment, the record button is a lower level security feature that maybe lower level than a panic. For example, a user that wants to becautious when approaching the vehicle in an unlighted place may decideto push the record button that will activate certain features on thevehicle, such as lighting, sound indicators, the camera sensors, themicrophone sensors, etc. However, the record button may not necessarilymean that the user is indeed in trouble. If while the user isapproaching the vehicle in the record mode the user determines that anactual panic or higher-level security activity is warranted, the usercan then press the panic button. The panic button provides an activationof more security features of the vehicle, such as auto notification ofpolice, recording clips of data in the vicinity of the vehicle beingtransmitted to authorities, notification of local security, etc.

If the user is not approaching the vehicle and the vehicle is simplybeing monitored from a remote location or being monitored to allowaccess from remote a location, the override button is not selected. Inthis case, the alarm type trigger logic would utilize alarm rules todecide which types of triggers alarms will be set. Additionally,notifications to the user may be sent via mobile phone applicationnotifications, e-mails, texts, and other communication methods. Thenotifications can include video clips, images, sounds files, andmetadata related to the trigger event.

Based on the type of detected events, certain data will be transferredto the user in the form of notifications, or simply added to the historyfile of the vehicle when parked at a particular location, and assigned atime tag for when the event occurred. The user can then access a mobiledevice, or any computer connected to the Internet to view any activitythat has occurred to the vehicle when away from the vehicle, and anynotifications concerning triggers of alarms. By having this informationbefore approaching the vehicle, the user can proceed to the vehicle withmore or less caution.

FIG. 6 illustrates an example of operations that may be processed insome embodiments of the present invention to activate certain alarms forsecurity of a vehicle and security of the vehicle's user, driver and oroccupants. As illustrated, one method can include allowing for normalmonitoring of the vehicle when the user is away from the vehicle and maynot be approaching the vehicle. In another embodiment, the user may beactivating a panic button or a record button or a low-level securitybutton when approaching a vehicle. This type of activity may be referredto as an override signal for the vehicle, which will actively inform thevehicle to set one or more alarms depending on the level of securitydesired by a user who may be approaching a vehicle, or who may bepreparing to approach a vehicle from a remote location.

The normal monitoring may occur when the user is away from the vehicle,but may still wish to receive alarm conditions or data regarding thevehicle as notifications that may be viewed from the user's account fromcloud processing application. The method may include the operation 202during normal operation that detects a trigger activity proximate to thevehicle. The trigger activity may be simply detection of a personwalking by the vehicle, a person talking near the vehicle, a personattempting to break into a vehicle, a collision detection from anothervehicle or object, etc. The sensor data in operation 204 is analyzed todetermine if the activity has occurred within the proximity zone aroundthe vehicle. If the activity has been detected within the proximityzone, the system will read alarm rules 206 to determine the type ofalarm to sound. The alarm can include audible sounds or simplytriggering of applications or notifications or recordings, orcombinations thereof.

As noted, the rules can be pre-set for the specific user, can be setbased on historical events, can be set based on the time of day, can beset based on the location where the vehicle is parked, or othercombinations of settings that can be made part of logic rules. Inoperation 212, one or more of the active sensors at one or morelocations around the vehicle may be activated. For example, cameras maybe activated to record, sounds may be activated to be emitted, lightingmay be activated to spotlight particular objects or people in thevicinity of the vehicle, etc. Operation 214 indicates that data from thesensors may be recorded. The recorded data can then be temporarily savedat the vehicle. In operation 216, the recorded data can be saved andtransmitted to a remote cloud services account for storage. The data canthen be made accessible to persons having access to the user's account,monitoring services, authorities, etc. A determination can be made inoperation 218 to determine if the alarm was due to an override.

In this example, no override signal was sent so the method moves tooperation 222, where normal monitoring would communicate a notificationto the owner of the vehicle regarding the triggered activity. Thenotification can be sent to third parties, persons that may be drivingthe vehicle temporarily for (for example with a temporary user accountfor the vehicle), to the police, the local monitoring services, tomonitoring services of the user where the car may be registered.

In another embodiment, the trigger may be due to an override signalbeing sent to the vehicle in operation 208. This might be the result ofan active panic. Active panic is simply a notation that can be thoughtof as a user desiring to seek higher levels of security when approachinga vehicle. In operation 210, it is determined that the level of panicfor the override is a single click, a double-click, a hold down of apanic button, or inactivation of recording.

These are only examples of the types of levels that can be signaled byuser when an override condition is triggered. Additional types ofsignals can be sent by the user via customized levels and activitiesthat may be programmed through user interface from an application thatis provided to users having accounts to a security program. Based on thelevel of security set by the override in operation 210, the alarm rulesare read in operation 206. At this point, operations 212 to 216 areprocessed and it is determined that operation 218 that overridecondition was true and in urgent communication or notification can besent to authorities in operation 220. The police, monitoring service orother identify persons can then see the notification, and in operation224 access is provided to recordings for the triggered activity and/orpast activity at the vehicle via a website or application. In oneembodiment, this data that is sent to cloud processing regarding anevent can be shared with others within a proximity threshold of theevent (e.g., either when a user/device requests the data or via a pushnotification, or combinations thereof). For example, if an event istriggered 5 parking spaces away (or any other predefined distance) froma different user's vehicle with monitoring services enabled, the user ofthe second non-affected vehicle may receive a report/notification thatan incident has occurred nearby and that user should use extra caution.This data can be in the form of a report with a certain time intervalcadence or an on-the-fly alert or notification (e.g., email, applicationnotification, text, voice message, etc.)

FIG. 7 illustrates one example of a user interface that may be providedto a user from a computing device, in accordance with one embodiment ofthe present invention. The computing device can include a screen withthe user interface. The computing device can be the interface and deviceof a vehicle in a dashboard. In another embodiment, the user interfacecan be a display screen for a computing device. In another embodiment,the user interface can be the display screen on a portable device, suchas a smart phone or tablet.

In this example, icons can be provided to the user to provide easyaccess to the users account, in this case user Bob. The user can thenmanage his user account through a website that communicates with cloudprocessing 120, if the user has registered with the security systemthat's operated by cloud processing 120. Remote control can be providedto the user via a remote control icon. The user, through the userinterface can then select override signal such as panic and recorddirectly from the computing device, without needing to access a key fob.The user can also review past recordings or start recording now, viewlive feeds in and around the proximity of the vehicle, see notificationsand alarms.

The user can be provided with a set number of alarms and notificationsthat, once selected can show historical data of notifications, alarmsand the like. The remote computing device, as noted above can be aremote computer, a portable device, a vehicle display, or any othercomputing system. The user interface can also provide the user withhistorical data regarding parking spaces are parking locations where thevehicle may be parked. The user can also be provided withrecommendations of safer locations the park the vehicle 102. Therecommendations can be obtained by looking at historical alarmconditions from other vehicles for specific parking locations.

This information can therefore qualify specific locations and parkingslots for vehicles actively when the user selecting parking spots in apublic location. In one embodiment, the recommendations can providehistorical data of actual events that occurred at the specific location.By having this information, users can make informed decisions and whereto park the vehicle is security may be an issue or is sense to be anissue.

FIG. 8A illustrates an example of a key fob 104″ that can include anumber of buttons and lights. In this example, the key fob can also berepresented in a graphical user interface (GUI) of a computing device.For purposes of illustration, a security button is provided on the keyfob and a plurality of LED lights are provided on the surface of the keyfob 104. The LEDs can be colored or not. If colored, they can providedifferent types of colors for higher or lower levels of security. Thelights can blink, and/or can stay lit as the next light turns on. Forexample, one click turns on the first, the next click turns on the next,etc.

If the user is using a GUI of a computer screen to activate functions ofa key fob, the color codes can be shown on the screen, and the user maybe able to simply select the exact level without multiple clicks.Specialized key fobs can also provide this functionality and can belinked to the user's smartphone app. For example, a key fob can be madeto communicate data between a smartphone or computer.

In one embodiment, if the user selects the security button once, a level1 security is activated, which may be shown with the green LED. This isa lower-level security with the user wants to be cautious whenapproaching a vehicle. The user can then select the security button asecond time which lights up the second LED in a different color, such asyellow.

The yellow color may indicate a level 2, which may activate differentlevels of security for the vehicle as shown in the example triggers. Ifthe user pushes the security button a third time, a level 3 securitiesactivated, which may trigger additional security measures than those forlevels 1 and 2. This may be shown as an orange LED on the key fob, or onthe display screen of the user's application. Similarly, if the userselects the security button a fourth time, a red LED will be litindicating the highest level of security, which is shown as level 4. Inthis example, more aggressive levels of security and notifications aretriggered as the user selects a higher level of security from the keyfob. The levels of security are only examples, and more or less levelsmay be used and more or less lights or indicators may be provided toselect the particular security input.

In one embodiment, the key fob can receive voice input commands from theuser. The user can activate the security level by simply speaking andthe key fob or portable device can detect the sound and identify theindividual as the owner or operator of the vehicle, and then apply thesecurity level.

In one embodiment, lower levels of security may be activated when a useris approaching a vehicle and feels relatively safe. As the user feelsthat his safety has diminished, the user can selectively increase thelevel security as the user approaches the vehicle. This acts to providepreventative measures for approaching the vehicle, such that nearbycriminal entities will be notified of the security and surveillance bythe vehicle, the fact that the area is being recorded, and the fact thatauthorities are being notified. In one embodiment, by enacting themultilevel security system for vehicles, the security of their occupantsor owners can be enhanced.

In other embodiments, the multiple levels of security can also beactivated when the user is in the vehicle. For example, if the user isin the vehicle and is approached by criminal entities, the user canselect the security button inside the vehicle to activate one or morethe security systems described in FIG. 8A. Accordingly, the securitysystem will provide for higher levels of security to occupants as wellas to owners and users of vehicles when approaching the vehicle in anunsecured location.

As shown in FIG. 8B, the data captured and triggered from the variouslevels of security can be communicated to cloud processing 120 and savedin cloud storage. A user 110 can then access via in cloud processingstorage 120 from a remote location using any computing device. The usercan then view the number of alerts, history, manages account, view thehistory, or view live recordings or live activity in and around thevehicle.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example where cloud processing 120 managesaccounts for users, in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. The cloud processing can include security logic forprocessing the various logic operations described herein, includingprocessing logic for accessing storage and accounts for users andtriggering notifications to security services, and authorities. In thisexample, the cloud processing can include storage for receiving the dataand user accounts for granting access to the data to various users.

The access to the data can also be encrypted to prevent unauthorizedaccess to the data. GPS and mapping services can also be incommunication with the cloud processing 120 provide data concerning thelocations of the vehicles and activities that occurred to the vehicleswhen at particular locations. The cloud processing can be access by thevehicles themselves using their electronics and communications, viamobile devices, from home, from work, etc.

The security service can include security agents that monitor andreceive trigger events from cloud processing from the various vehicles.The security service can be automated, or can include live people thathandle specific events for members of an account and a service. Thesecurity service can also be in communication with authorities tocontact police, local patrols, ambulances etc. The cloud processing canalso be in direct communication with the authorities without having tocommunicate with security service agents of a security account for avehicle or vehicles. Reports can then be generated by cloud processingfor specific owners of vehicles so that owners of vehicles canunderstand historical security breaches or triggers that have occurredand the location where that has occurred.

The owners of the vehicles can also access cloud processing to getrecommendations of safer locations the part based on historical data ofother vehicles that have experienced security events. These pastsecurity events can be mapped to a heat map that identifies where theevents occurred, and how long ago the events occurred. If eventsconcerning security have occurred often in a specific location, butthose events occurred years ago, the heat map will deemphasize thoseevents over events that have occurred more recently.

Recommendations to the users can then be populated based on moreaccurate and recent activity. For example, if a garage operator hasrecently improved security, past security breaches and events can bedeemphasized if the garage operator registers with the security serviceand notifies the security service of their improvements in security. Inone embodiment, different parking areas can be rated by the cloudservices logic and the ratings can be provided back to the user. Theseratings can be used to recommend better locations for parking. If theparking owners see that their ratings have fallen, the parking ownerscan emphasize or correct their security issues to receive a betterrating.

Other types of tracking can also be used. For example, tracking can beused to generate reports/notifications that are produced and distributedto safety coordinating officers of specific locations (or vehicleowners), or to identify information that occurred before or after anaccident or incident at a specific location such as a vehicle collision,vehicle theft of attempted theft, robbery, attempted robbery as well aspanic situations during crimes. These alerts can also be provided withhistorical data associated with the alerts. The historical data caninclude images taken by cameras of the specific locations where thealerts occurred. The images can be videos, video clips, still images,collection of still images, audio files, audio snippets, that areaccessible instantly over cloud processing 120.

This information can also be accessible via cloud processing 120 after aspecific incident is reported. For example, if a burglary or crimeoccurred within the location, the sensor data of the location as well asthe sensor data of the vehicles can be coordinated to identify when andwho traversed specific locations within the area. In one embodiment, thecollected data can be partitioned to allow certain data to be sharedwith the owner of the vehicle and certain data to be restricted to theowner or operator of the location.

The vehicle cameras can also be obtaining data during, after or beforethe vehicle begins to move. The vehicle cameras can be located in alllocations around the vehicle. The vehicle cameras can be located in thefront, in the rear, under the vehicle, above the vehicle, to the sidesof the vehicles etc. Other sensors the vehicle can include ultrasonicsensors, heat sensors, IR sensors, sound sensors, gyroscopes,microphones, etc.

In some embodiments, the vehicles may establish peer-to-peer links tofacilitate fast transfer of data. In other embodiments, vehicles maylink to each other using pairing algorithms that allow the vehicles toexchange data using WiFi, Bluetooth, near field communication (NFC), orsome other short range communication protocol.

FIG. 10A illustrates an example mobile device 104 displaying an exampleGUI 105 of an APP useful for displaying, consuming, interpreting,selecting, notifying, controlling, managing and updating informationrelated to a user's location, and/or their future location as it relatesto parking location selection. The device 104 can use communicationselectronics 1014 to communicate with cloud processing 120 to exchangeinformation useful for dynamically updating information displayed andinterpreted in the APP's GUI 105. In this example, the user may requireinformation useful for determining the safest place to park relative totheir current location 1004 by selecting a screen that will displaycurrent location data 1010 a.

The APP may use any combination of device electronics in coordinationwith GPS location coordinates to determine what types of overlays todisplay on the GUI 105 to show the user the different options he or shemay have in parking. The user may choose from many different overlays onthe given map 1002 showing the user's proximate location and parkingoptions. In this case, the user may choose a grade map from selections1012 which can also show information in heat map overlay mode, incidentreport overlay mode, recommended parking overlay mode, rating mode amongothers. In this particular example, a letter grade 1008 a-e may be givento each available parking area 1006 a-e within a proximate location ofthe user's current location 1004. The letters grades illustrate one suchway of indicating varying degrees of safety of certain locations,however, numbers, symbols, colors, as well as intensities orcombinations of these may also be used to convey varying degrees ofsafety.

A user may also decide to view more information about a given parkingarea 106 a-e and may be able to select an area by speaking to the appwhich will identify the selection, touching the screen to elect achoice, tap with an indicating utensil or speak a command. Once the userhas made a selection, additional details may be displayed to the userpertaining to that particular parking area. This data may includemetrics including but not limited to incidents, ratings, ability torate, reservation options, alternatives, subscription options as well aspayment options. A user may decide that a parking location A is close towhere they need to be, however the location may have a high rate ofincidents.

In one embodiment, the user may click on the incidents information tabto determine if the incidents were severe or mild to determine if therisk is worth parking closer to their destination. The user may want tosubscribe to a given parking area 1006 a-e in order to receive alertswhen an incident happens to determine if the parking area is safe topark in at a later time or when they have parked in that area. After theuser has parked in an area, the user may decide to rate the parking area, report an incident or pay for parking time.

FIG. 10B shows one example of a configurable dynamically updatinghome-screen and or dashboard displayed on GUI 105 for an APP running ondevice 104 having communication electronics 1014 useful for exchangingdata with cloud processing 120. This example home-screen may havedifferent types of information arranged in a predetermined or customfashion by the user to reflect the most important items to the user. Forexample, the user's name is displayed; in this case Bob, showing thatthey are viewing a main account page. This main account page, homepageand dashboard 1022 may have varying components. Once such component maybe a navigation screen 1018 displaying frequently used utilitiesincluding but not limited to vehicle configuration, feeds,subscriptions, alerts, history among others. This screen may providequick access to the most commonly used or the most frequently used datato enhance the user's experience while navigating the APP.

In one embodiment, the homepage may also contain a section dedicated tointeractive utilities 1020 including but not limited to destinationentry, heat maps and map overlays, rating maps, reservations utilities,monitors etc. The user may choose to enter their destination in whichthe user may want to receive information about available parking in andaround that location along with information on varying safety levelsassociated with those parking areas. Similarly, the user may already bein the area where the user wishes to park, in such case, the user maychoose a dynamic location based map overlay to help in deciding wherethe safest place to park is. The user may choose to reserve parking inadvance or reserve parking when they are approaching an identifiedparking area on the map overlay interactive map utility.

A user's APP homepage may also include dynamically updating sections1024 in which the most important information at a given time may bedisplayed or surfaced to a user. If a user has parked in a certainparking area, he or she may want to monitor metrics related to incidentsthat may have occurred to his or her vehicle, vehicles around his or hervehicle, any dynamically received alerts, as well as precaution levels.Additionally, a user may choose to configure his or her APP homepage todisplay the most pertinent audio and video feeds to their needs.

The example of the APP shows 3 such feeds: 1026 a of a side view of auser's vehicle, 1026 b, a bird's eye view of a user's vehicle and 1026c, a view from inside the user's vehicle looking out through thedriver's window. This example shows 3 such feeds, however, any number offeeds may or may not be shown simultaneously, depending on the APPconfiguration by the user. These feeds may be useful in identifyingthreats to a user's vehicle why the user is away. For instance, feed1026 shows the view from inside the vehicle looking out through thedriver's window which has captured suspicious activity relating to anindividual peering into the user's vehicle. Since all camera's feeds maybe passed through a filtering algorithm to determine if activity issuspicious or benign, a determination can be made by the logic to alertthe user or not. In this case, the logic has determined that theactivity of an individual peering into the user's vehicle qualifies assuspicious.

FIG. 10C shows one example of a GUI 105 running on device 104 updatedvia communication electronics 1014 by exchanging data with cloudprocessing 120 related to displaying past and current incidents for agiven user's vehicle(s). In this example, incidents are organized intabs by date 1028 but may be organized in any fashion, numbering orrepresentation in any sortable form to convey the amalgamation ofincidents in time. In this case, incident 1028 pertains to an incidentthat occurred on the X day of July XXXX. Information pertaining toincident 1028 may be displayed including but not limited to the alarmsthat were activated in conjunction with the incident 1030, audio/videocaptures 1032, additional details, and options such as the ability toshare 1036 the incident to aid in the crowdsourcing of data useful forrating, grading, trending and heat mapping of parking locations with thelatest incident information.

FIG. 10D shows one example of a GUI 105 running on device 104 updatedvia communication electronics 1014 by exchanging data with cloudprocessing 120 related to displaying the latest alerts sent to a userdynamically regarding incidents involving the user's vehicle or vehiclesproximate to the user's vehicle, or within the same parking area as theuser's vehicle. One such alert 1038 may be further qualified by adescription 1052. In this case, description 1052 shows the user thatthis alert is incident related.

In one embodiment, information regarding the incident or a brief summaryof the incident 1042 may be shown to the user. In this case, theincident is regarding the break-in of a vehicle proximate to the user'svehicle. The user may also elect to consume all details related to alert1038 by selecting the details button 1046 which will show all text andmedia available regarding alert 1038. This may be useful to the user byelecting to move his or her vehicle to a safer location. A secondexample of an alert may be alert 1040 with description 1052 regardingsuspicious activity. Details regarding this alert may be displayed inarea 1044 in which the user's vehicle determined that it has beentouched using gyroscopes. The user may elect for more details bychoosing button 1046 or may want to watch live feeds from their vehicleby choosing button 1048 to validate the alert or determine if the alertwas a false alarm.

FIG. 10E shows one example of a GUI 105 running on device 104 updatedvia communication electronics 1014 by exchanging data with cloudprocessing 120 related to displaying the latest alerts sent to a userdynamically regarding particular alert 1054 titled suspicious activity.This GUI representation is one example of may form factors used todisplay such information. In this case, after a user receives an alertthat their vehicle may have been touched, the user may elect to view alive feed of their vehicle and surroundings. In this case, the user mayview that an individual is indeed suspicious and may be tampering withthe user's vehicle by interpreting feed 1056.

At this time, the user may elect to enable varying degrees ofcountermeasures to deter the suspicious individual. Actions 1060available to the user may include but are not limited to honking thevehicle's horn, providing an audio warning, speaking directly to thesuspicious individual near the vehicle, flashing the vehicle's lights orlighting system, alert the authorities, capture snapshots of thesuspicious individual, record all video and audio for storage locally onthe device as well as cloud processing storage systems as well aselecting to alert others in the area that may be affected by thesuspicious activity. This alert may show up on another user's device 104as an alert as it did on the current user's device.

FIG. 10F shows one example of a GUI 105 running on device 104 updatedvia communication electronics 1014 by exchanging data with cloudprocessing 120 related to displaying the available parking suggestions1062 screen to a user that is proximate to available parking location orhas elected to enter a destination 1064 and wishes to be displayed withthe available parking locations in advance. In this example, the APP GUI105 shows tiles in which varying parking locations are displayed 1066a-f. this options may be displayed in any fashion aside from tiles, suchas locations on a map overlay, in list form or other method useful forconveying a plurality of parking options. Each parking option maycontain a subset of data associated with that parking location 1068describing the distance from the user's intended destination or currentlocation, the safety rating displayed by letter grade, number system,symbols, colors intensities or any combination there of useful for theinterpretation of safety levels. This subset of data may also includeutilities such as displaying the current parking fees associated witheach parking location if any.

In one embodiment, the vehicles can communicate directly with each othervia a temporary pairing process. The temporary pairing process can beautomatically enabled when vehicles become too close to each other, forexample. When this happens, local communication between the vehicles,such as a peer-to-peer connection, Wi-Fi connection, NFC connection, orBluetooth connection can be established to enable the vehicles to shareinformation concerning their proximity to one another. This localcommunication will enable one or both vehicles to take correctionactions or alert a driver to change course or trigger automaticcollision prevention measures (e.g., more aggressive notifications toone or both operators, slow the speed of one or more vehicles, changethe driving direction of one or more vehicles, etc.). Once the closeproximity communication occurs and some corrective action is made, thedata regarding the occurrence and the actions taken can be communicatedto the cloud system for storage. The information can then be viewed by aregistered user having access to an account for the vehicle(s).

In still other embodiments, based on data collected from events totriggers of alarms, the cloud processing system can suggest specificparking spots, slots, garages, areas, areas of cities, areas ofbuildings, neighborhoods, etc. In still other embodiments, the dataobtained from reported triggers, security breaches, or elevated levelsof security requested, the data can be augmented with data fromauthorities, such as crime statistics. These statistics can be obtainedfrom online databases and combined or blended with data obtained fromvehicle activities. The data can be obtained for different types ofcrime activity, such as car-jacking, muggings, theft, etc. The data canalso be assigned to specific areas by GPS locations, by zip codes, by aradius around some object, location or vehicle.

In one embodiment, a user can remotely reserve a parking spot. Thereserved parking spot can be tied to a particular rating of security.Spots in a parking garage, for example, can be reserved and paid forbased on their demand. Spots with low crime or high safety ratings maylease for higher fees, while spots with a lower safety rating may leasefor less money. The reservation can be made using a mobile device forremote reservation, or can be made by electronics of the vehicle. In oneembodiment, as a vehicle arrives at a parking area, the user may beprovided with options to park. The options can be tied to the securityrating for the parking spots.

It will be obvious, however, to one skilled in the art, that the presentinvention may be practiced without some or all of these specificdetails. In other instances, well known process operations have not beendescribed in detail in order not to unnecessarily obscure the presentinvention.

The various embodiments defined herein may define individualimplementations or can define implementations that rely on combinationsof one or more of the defined embodiments. Further, embodiments of thepresent invention may be practiced with various computer systemconfigurations including hand-held devices, microprocessor systems,microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,minicomputers, mainframe computers and the like. The invention can alsobe practiced in distributed computing environments where tasks areperformed by remote processing devices that are linked through awire-based or wireless network.

With the above embodiments in mind, it should be understood that theinvention could employ various computer-implemented operations involvingdata stored in computer systems. These operations are those requiringphysical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though notnecessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magneticsignals capable of being stored, transferred, combined, compared andotherwise manipulated.

Any of the operations described herein that form part of the inventionare useful machine operations. The invention also relates to a device oran apparatus for performing these operations. The apparatus can bespecially constructed for the required purpose, or the apparatus can bea general-purpose computer selectively activated or configured by acomputer program stored in the computer. In particular, variousgeneral-purpose machines can be used with computer programs written inaccordance with the teachings herein, or it may be more convenient toconstruct a more specialized apparatus to perform the requiredoperations.

The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on acomputer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any datastorage device that can store data, which can thereafter be read by acomputer system. The computer readable medium can also be distributedover a network-coupled computer system so that the computer readablecode is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

Although the foregoing invention has been described in some detail forpurposes of clarity of understanding, it will be apparent that certainchanges and modifications can be practiced within the scope of theappended claims. Accordingly, the present embodiments are to beconsidered as illustrative and not restrictive, and the invention is notto be limited to the details given herein, but may be modified withinthe scope and equivalents of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for managing personal security of a userof a vehicle, comprising: the vehicle having a plurality of activesensors, the active sensors include one or more of a first type ofsensors that collect data and one or more of a second type of sensorsthat produce actions; receiving a first remote request at the vehicle toactivate a first level of security, the first remote request being anoverride signal to actively inform said vehicle to set said first levelof security for approaching said vehicle by said user; recording an areaproximate to the vehicle using one of said first type of sensors andilluminating said area proximate to the vehicle using one of said secondtype of sensors in response to activating the first level of security,the recording producing a media file; and transmitting the media file toInternet storage associated with an account of the user of the vehicle,wherein the first remote request causes the recording and thetransmitting.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising, receiving asecond remote request at the vehicle to activate a second level ofsecurity, the second level of security activating additional ones ofsaid first type of sensors and additional ones of said second type ofsensors.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein one of said second type ofsensors activated for the second level of security triggers anotification to predefined authorities, the notification including atleast part of the media file.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theactions include turning on lights to produce the illumination,controlling vehicle components, controlling recording of audio or video,flashing lights, providing audible responses, sounding alarms, soundingvoice messages, or combinations thereof.
 5. The method of claim 1,further comprising, transmitting a notification to a predefineddestination regarding the first remote request, wherein the transmittingof the notification is saved to history in the account of the user atthe Internet storage, such that access to the Internet storage isprovided to the user via the account to view or share data regarding thenotification.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, sending anotification to the user upon activating the first level of security,the notification including data indicative of a danger condition,wherein the danger condition is determined based on monitored conditionsof unauthorized persons proximate to the vehicle before receiving thefirst remote request, wherein rules define which ones of the monitoredconditions should be considered said danger condition.
 7. The method ofclaim 6, wherein the notification is sent to a mobile device of the userthat identifies the danger condition, a key fob for the vehicle, apredefined security agent, police, or a combination thereof.
 8. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the media file is one of video, audio, image,sounds and images, a video clip, infrared images, sound waves, impactdata, or combinations thereof that can be stored in digital form.
 9. Amethod managing security of a vehicle having electronics for managingthe vehicle and for communicating wirelessly with the Internet,comprising: receiving one or more requests at the vehicle from awireless device handled by a user of the vehicle, wherein each one ofsuccessive requests is predefined to trigger a heightened level ofsecurity, and each of said requests is to a same security input made atsaid wireless device, each of the one or more request associated with anoverride signal to actively inform said vehicle to execute saidheightened level of security for approaching said vehicle by said user;initiating video recording proximate to the vehicle upon receiving oneof the requests; transmitting, over the Internet, a notification to apredetermined recipient concerning the one more requests received at thevehicle, the notification including at least part of the videorecording; and wherein the notification and the at least part of thevideo recording is saved at a remote server, connected to the Internet,associated with an account of the user for the vehicle.
 10. The methodof claim 9, wherein the account of the user for the vehicle is accessedat a website or application and the account identifies a history ofevents that include saved notifications and provides access to the videorecordings associated with the saved notifications.
 11. The method ofclaim 9, wherein the wireless device is a key fob having at least onebutton that functions as the same security input that is selected one ormore times to cause the one or more requests that are received by thevehicle.
 12. The method of claim 9, wherein the wireless device is aportable computing device having selection options, wherein at least oneof the selection options is for said same security input that isselected one or more times to cause the one or more requests that arereceived by the vehicle.
 13. The method of claim 9, wherein thenotification is correlated to a geographic location of the vehicle. 14.The method of claim 13, wherein the notification for the vehicle isadded to a history database for the geographic location, the historydatabase including notifications from a plurality of vehicles thatgenerate notifications over time, further comprising, generating safetygrades, at a server connected to the Internet, and assigning the safetygrades to a plurality of geographic locations based on past occurrencesof notifications at or near the plurality of geographic locations. 15.The method of claim 14, further comprising, presenting the safetygrades, upon request, to devices requesting safety history for ageographic location.